Kebbi boat disaster

Nigerian waterways have become increasingly dangerous in recent years, with various organizations estimating that between 150 and 350 deaths occurred in 2020 alone. In May 2021, 30 people died when a boat carrying 100 passengers hit a stump and broke in two in Niger State. In July 2020, another boat sank in Benue State with nearly 30 people on board, and seven people died when a boat sank amidst heavy rain near Lagos, followed by eight deaths in a separate boat incident a month later. ==Accident==

On 26 May 2021, an overloaded boat carrying between 150 and 200 passengers departed from the village of Lokon Minna in central Niger State to a market in Warrah in Kebbi State on the other side of the Niger River. Between 8:15 am and 8:20 am, the boat struck an object in the river, which caused it to quickly break into two pieces and sink. Most of the passengers on board the boat were women and children who were travelling to Warrah to sell food at a market, as well as some miners. The boat had picked up passengers at unregulated locations along the river as opposed to an official jetty, likely in order to evade taxes, and because of this the true number of passengers on board the boat was not known. ==Aftermath==

Nigerian president Muhammadu Buhari offered his condolences to the families of the victims. Many Nigerian organizations donated funds for the families of the victims. The Nigerian Governors' Forum donated 50 million nairas to the families of the victims. The governor of Kebbi State, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, promised 11 million nairas for the victims' families. Representing the government, the National Inland Waterways Authority blamed the operators of the ferry for overloading the boat and violating safety regulations. The governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu, promised to conduct a review of maritime laws in order to prevent future accidents. ==References==